Breaking Down the New Event:
This year’s Olympic games introduced a brand new figure skating team event! It was pretty tricky to catch on and follow, especially if you didn’t realize it was something new. Basically, each country had to choose one representative to compete in each traditional figure skating event (pairs, dance, men’s and ladies’). Countries whose skaters scored the highest advanced to the next round of competition. So, after each event, several countries were eliminated so that by the time the ladies skated, only five skaters (countries) were left. The team event gave the skaters another chance to compete and allowed them to work together as a team to win a medal for their country. Russia took the gold, followed by Canada with silver and USA with bronze. Not too shabby for our first time around the block!
The Ladies:
Don’t get me wrong, dudes in tights are great, but it’s undeniable that the stunning ladies of figure skating never fail to steal the show. With so many talented skaters, there was no room in Sochi for any mistakes. We got a preview of the front-runners in the team event but the short and free skate programs are where the pressure was on. Surprising everyone, Adelina Sotnikova , 17 year-old from Russia, won the gold with her one-of-a-kind spin positions and sky-high jumps. She certainly came out from the shadow of Russia’s highly praised 15 year-old Julia Lipnitskaia, who ended up in 5th place. It just goes to show that you can never be sure who is going to slip or succeed. Yuna Kim of Korea, known as “the queen of figure skating” and the reigning Olympic champion, was in first after the short program but ended up finishing in second. Coming as a shock to the world and mostly to herself, Kim didn’t make it back to the top of the podium. Italy’s Carolina Kostner, who did not show well during her last Olympic performance in Vancouver, is taking home a bronze medal, the first ever individual figure skating medal for her country. Our own Gracie Gold (my personal favorite) skated her heart out and landed herself a spot in fourth place. She is so fun to watch because you can tell she absolutely loves what she’s doing. During her free skate program, she looked just like a little Cinderella lighting up the ice. Ashley Wagner was pretty disappointed with her 6th place finish after being invited to join the US Olympic team without qualifying at nationals. She’s a strong and driven skater but really peaked a few years ago. This year’s Olympics gave the girls a run for their money with such a talented and ambitious group of skaters from around the world. It was definitely a sight to see some of the underdogs and newbies step up to the plate and leave their mark on Sochi.
The Dream Team:
There was no doubt in my mind that the US ice dance duo was going to take gold in Sochi. Charlie White and Meryl Davis have been skating together for an impressive 17 years. Not surprisingly, they skate flawlessly together and show stunning passion on the ice. Both their short and free skate programs were perfection, leaving the crowd and their competitors awed. Their Canadian rivals, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, were unable to step their game up enough to even come close to Charlie and Meryl’s impressive performance. They won with 195.52 points, becoming the first US ice dance team to win gold in the Olympics. The two have more ambition now than ever before, so look forward to seeing much more from this perfect pair.